SURE Guide 1 is part of the SURE Guides for Preparing and Using Evidence-Based Policy Briefs. The SURE Guides are intended for those people responsible for preparing and supporting the use of policy briefs and ensuring that decisions about health systems are well-informed by research evidence. The guides focus specifically on these issues in the context of African health systems and the examples used are taken from policy briefs that address important problems in African countries.
This guide describes what an ‘evidence-based policy brief’ is, what should be included in such a document, the ways in which it can be used, and the first steps required when preparing one. The guide provides resources to answer the following questions:
• What is a policy brief?
• What should be included in a policy brief?
• How can policy briefs be used?
• First steps and the policy brief writing team
This guide also includes additional resources for developing a plan to build the capacity needed to prepare and support the use of policy briefs. Resources are also provided for the preparation of rapid responses for policymakers in circumstances in which they may need research evidence but there is insufficient time to prepare a policy brief, or in instances when there is no need to prepare one.
• Building capacity to prepare and support the use of policy briefs
• Responding rapidly to requests for research evidence
It may be helpful to familiarise yourself with all the guides in this series before getting started.
